So what is an Elevator Pitch? Well, an Elevator Pitch is essentially your response to the age old question asked of “What do you do?” An Elevator Pitch should answer this question in a few sentences in less than a minute or two with the purpose of 1. Informing them about what you do exactly; 2. Wanting them to know more; 3. Getting potential sales leads or follow ups.

There are three different Elevator Pitches I am going to introduce you to. All of them are very simple. From these, with practice, you can then develop your own unique elevator pitch. Remember that as part of your elevator pitch, you should be introducing your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), to differentiate your business from your competitors.

Try each of your pitches as much as possible. Use as many networking events as possible to practice each of your pitches to see what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to experiment and change your pitch. Identify what catches the interest of people and what doesn’t. What makes them want to know more? Soon, you will have your elevator pitch down and it will confidently roll off your tongue as second nature when you are asked “What do you do?”

So you want to meet new people to network with. But where are they? And which is the right one for you?

Ideally, ask someone you know who is already networking to give you some ideas on where to network. Meet Up, for example, is an online place to find where people are meeting for different interest groups in a particular area. I strongly recommend this if you are new to anything, anywhere!

Remember, networking means different things to different people. Ask yourself the following questions

1. Who am I wanting to meet/what is my purpose? Business or pleasure? Are you wanting to meet new clients; new suppliers; new friends; colleagues from your industry; mentors; new business partners; investors; employees; people who are in a particular industry or have common interests? Don’t always assume that for business you need to go to events where only your potential clients are.

2. How many networking events do you want to attend each week or month or year? How frequently do you want to attend any one networking event? I can literally go to a networking event every day for almost every day of the year. But I wouldn’t get much work done if I did!

3. What are my limitations? Cost? Travel time/distance/location? Time to attend? Time to contribute to the organisation? Some networking events cost money to attend, not including the additional costs of meals, drinks, contributions etc. Where the event is and the time commitment to attend is also a factor. Some networking events are not just networking but also part of an organisations official meeting.

Networking is about meeting people. Don’t immediately dismiss an event because those attending are not the people you want to meet. Getting to know these people and making them a part of your network might open you to other people who you are wanting to meet.

If you want to find me, I have my “Where I Will Be” page letting people know what events I am attending for business. I also link a little blog I do on the event as well.

Personally, I use Meet Up to meet new people once a week for both the personal and professional interaction. I have made this part of my goals for 2014.

So now you can find events to network at. But what do you need to do to start networking? Find out in my next post!

Networking is a great way to meet new people and make new contacts. Here are 7 reasons why you should network

Grant Hackett and Damien Foley- RDA Gold Coast Event October 2011.

Build your network of contacts- Networking allows you to expand your existing contacts, increasing your pool of clients and suppliers. I have met numerous people by networking.

Learn new things- By meeting new people, I have learnt new things about my industry and especially about the needs of my customers.

Build your profile and professional brand- Become more recognised by your peers, clients, suppliers and the community. Build your professional brand (We will discuss your personal or professional brand in another post later). I have been asked to join committee’s, speak at conferences and become involved with local community groups because of networking.

Gain access to powerful and influential people- Through my networks I have had meetings with some very powerful and influential people in government and business. Networking lets you meet people you ordinarily wouldn’t get access to by walking up and starting a conversation.

Make strong relationships upon which you can leverage- I met the secretary of a very influential person. By making a good relationship with her, I was able to gain her trust to give me an introduction to her boss.

Build self esteem and confidence- When I first started I was nervous. But many of the people who network felt exactly the same way when they first started. With practice you will learn to network with the best of them.

Have Fun!- Meeting new people is a whole lot of fun and a great way to make new friends.